A Treasury of Great Recipes, the epic 1965 cookbook by movie legend Vincent Price and his wife Mary, is available again in a new 50th anniversary edition.
Chef Sin wrote previously about this remarkable, long out-of-print book; it is the source of her much-in-demand guacamole recipe. Just as important from a historical standpoint, this may have been the original celebrity cookbook—although most critics agree that Mary, more than Vincent, was the real chef of the two. And with recipes drawn from many famous-at-the-time restaurants from around the world, Treasury provides a fascinating window on what was considered gourmet eating a half century ago. (Think cream sauce. Lots of meat. And more than a little aspic.)
The new edition includes all of the original’s fantastic full-color photos of featured restaurants and their staffs along with line drawings of a style so common in the era’s magazine ads. There’s also a new preface by Vincent and Mary’s daughter, Victoria, and a new foreword by Wolfgang Puck.
What the new edition lacks is the original’s gorgeous gilded faux leather cover, which made it look at home as much on coffee tables as kitchen counters. Used copies in good condition are available from used-book stores and antique shops from $50 to almost $200; the new edition will set you back about $35. So it’s nice to see it come back to life again.